The Warrior and The King
by Wamakai
Summary: Shuurei has a decision to make and it's not an easy one; should she choose the warrior or the king?


Shuurei was in a fix.

First, there was the warrior. He was brother and loyal friend. He had been with her and her family for a long time.

Ensei was the perfect addition to any celebration. He had an easy smile, a quick wit and always livened up any place he went. The way his face lit up every time they met was something she would find herself looking forward to. Since the first time she had launched herself at him surprising both him and the soldiers behind her, she had always greeted him as enthusiastically.

She had not known him as long as she had known Seiran, but she was sure she knew him well... up until a week ago.

They had been coming with Eigetsu and Kourin from Sa Province to celebrate New Years in the capital together. They had to stop to camp on the way and that evening, she had stood quietly by watching the flames and her friends.

Ensei was to guard her this time since Seiran had to stay in the capital on official business. He saw her standing alone and came to stand beside her. He had her smiling in a moment and laughing in another. He continued looking at her long after she had turned away but she didn't notice. Then he took her hand and asked her to come with him. Slowly, they disappeared behind the trees and playfully went through the trees a little further from the camp site although not so far that he wouldn't be there to help in case of anything.

"Here it is, what do you think, Hime-san? It's beautiful nee?"

Shuurei stood for a moment drinking in the sight. Just below her, cool spring water bubbled out of the rocks and flowed out and further ahead to form a river. Around the source was a healthy amount of moss firmly attached to the rocks. Surrounding these in a coloured cocoon were dozens of flowers in almost every shade she could imagine. She stood between two trees and, following the trail of flowers and vines up, saw them mingle with some of the leaves and higher up beyond her vision.

Beyond the trees and to the west, she could see the mountains rise proud and majestic visible even now with the sun having gone down a long time ago. The trees had parted just enough for her to see through them as well.

Above them, the canopy had parted letting the moonlight in and casting its silver light on everything. Surely this was every artist's dream. If she lived to be one hundred, the sights and sounds in this peaceful place would never leave her. It was a paradise!

Shuurei took a deep breath and shut her eyes letting the breeze blow around her. She spread her arms then smiled brightly and turned back to Ensei.

"It's wonderful..." she sighed and looked back down at the stream. Then his very deep voice was murmuring in her ear.

"Yes, Hime-san, it is," he said. She shivered and not from the cold for it was a rather warm night. Why did she shiver though? He was a friend so it wasn't that she was afraid of him. Her heart hammered in her chest. Did she dare turn to look at him? She took the chance and dared. She had less than a moment to catch the look in his eyes as their gazes met.

It was the look Ryuuki had given her before he had kissed her for the very first time.

It was the same look that Sa Sakujun had given her all the while that they had been together.

In that moment, she realised something she had never realised before... Ensei, like those two men, was in love with her.

Then their lips met and he had kissed her before she could blink. The world had stopped around her. The sights blurred and the sounds faded into nothing, giving way to the insistent beat of her thundering heart. Her eyes closed of their own volition and a slow tingle wound its way agonisingly up her spine bringing all her nerves on alert.

The strong arms that had shielded her, that had protected her, that had worked to defeat many a foe for her freedom now held her captive.

Then his lips drew away from hers but only by a fraction so they could breathe. Her hands clutched his clothing and his had dipped into her mass of hair spilling her pins around them. Not one of them had fallen into the water.

"Ensei," came her flustered whisper, for flustered she surely was.

"Now you know, Hime-san," he said and his hands slid down her arms in almost a slow caress to draw her hands up to his lips. He kissed them gently then released her. The path was easy to follow so she could return on her own, but for the moment, she needed some time alone. She touched her lips in disbelief. The tingle was still there and the places he had touched her still burst with occasional sensation.

The warrior had made himself known, she thought, but beyond that, her thoughts were as incomprehensible as a child's speech...

Shuurei sat quietly in her room remembering this and sighed. The other half of this equation was the emperor himself.

Almost a year ago, he had given her a deadline that was going to end in two weeks. If by that time, she had decided to be his bride, then they would marry and she couldn't refuse him any more. If she refused, he would have to marry and her chance to be his queen would be gone.

Ryuuki was a king and had responsibilities to the entire country. He had to be the head of everything and he would have to deal with a lot more. He would probably be in better hands if she agreed to the match, but that wouldn't be her only reason.

At the beginning of spring, a month ago, he had come into her garden and stood beside her as they watched the peach tree he had sent her sway in the wind. Its blossoms were ruffled with the gentle movement and a few petals fell to the ground or were lifted off to follow the breeze where it would. Standing there with him had seemed so natural.

She had greeted him with a smile and he had returned that smile. Then they had stood there watching the garden. She looked at him then turned away as he turned to look at her. When he looked away again, she turned to look at him. This game went on for a while until she had accidentally met his gaze and held it.

She didn't detest Ryuuki.

How could she? He was her emperor and it was her duty as a government official to love and serve her king. He could as well order her to marry him, but they both knew she would never be happy with the match and things would end badly. Besides, he wanted her to come to him of her own volition. He wouldn't be trying so hard otherwise.

He lifted his hand into her hair and brushed off a stray petal then met her eyes again. His hand rested on her cheek as he smiled at her. She knew what followed this. He would ask her to marry him again or kiss her or both. It was almost a routine. He would always try to get her to say yes. He never once gave up.

The look he gave her now was no different than usual, but there was a determination in his eyes that she could not miss.

He turned so he could face her properly. Looking her right in the eyes, he said the words he had repeated to her sometimes in jest or sometimes in pleading. Saying them now as he did made her feel as if she were hearing them for the first time...

"Aishiteru yo, Shuurei," he murmured. She was about to reply with a laughed "I know," but his next action stopped her.

Her eyes widened slightly as he drew close. Normally, he would try to kiss her lips. This time, he planted a kiss on her forehead and wrapped his arms around her.

"I may have to let you go soon, Shuurei," he continued. She gasped remembering the deadline. In a month and a half, she would have to decide whether she loved him or not. He looked down, smiling and met her gaze again. He smiled but he was not joking.

"I don't want to, but I must honour our agreement and my duty as the emperor."

She had known the day would come when she would have to choose. She couldn't avoid it any longer. Nor could she deny the fact that the last time he had kissed her, she had felt her heart beat just a little faster. She had thought seriously about the consequences of becoming Ryuuki's wife and weighed it against refusing him.

The thought of him taking another woman in his arms bothered her. For the longest time, he had only been after her, but the fact was that he was the emperor and that meant that he did not work for her alone. He worked for the good of the country. It was therefore in his best interests to become a husband and a father to the next heir on the throne.

"Aishiteru yo," he repeated and leaned down to brush his lips against hers. That was the last contact they had had in a month and it was driving her mad trying to think it through. Ryuuki was by no means repulsive. She felt something when he was near, but she couldn't decide what that was.

That was her dilemma; should she choose the warrior or the prince?

She shut her eyes turning the problem over in her mind. She would have to make a decision and sick by it come what may. There was no way of doing this without breaking a heart and whomever she rejected would just have to live with that.

It was cruel that she would have to choose between two people for whom she cared a lot, but that was the strange thing about life. It handed you a dilemma every now and then so one couldn't afford to be very lazy.

She sighed again and skipped a pebble over the pond. Thinking about it again, she made a decision. Her heart was set on one of them and she now knew which. Smiling now and feeling a sudden contentment with her decision, she stood and went to find the man in question. She would put an end to this once and for all and live the life she now knew she wanted more than anything else. Still, who knew what the future held.

Several years down the line, she could look back on this day with a lot of regret... but she was sure now what she wanted. She was also sure that when she became an old woman and told her children about this day and her decision, she would tell them simply and proudly that she would make the same choice again.


End file.
